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Monday, November 27, 2006

Long the fantasy of misanthropic environmentalists, the spectre of the declining birthrate is a reality in Europa. Progressive toadies should celebrate not, however, there always people more than willing to take the place of those reluctant to parent. The catch is this: your replacements will not come from your culture, nor will they necessarily revivify the ocean in which you swim. If you're lucky Christians will pick up the slack, otherwise, your replacements may represent a kind of toxic spill and you'll be going belly up sooner than expected. When progressives decry overpopulation, it's always the hidden premise that they personally expect to live long.

From the Washington Times:

Muslim birthrate worries Russia

written by Michael Mainville (Washington Times) - 21 Nov 2006

MOSCOW -- Low domestic birthrates and rising immigration from the former Soviet republics are producing explosive growth in Russia's Muslim community, which is on a track to account for more than half the population by midcentury.

"Russia is going through a religious transformation that will be of even greater consequence for the international community than the collapse of the Soviet Union," said Paul Goble, a specialist on Islam in Russia and research associate at the University of Tartu in Estonia.

Two decades ago, the Sobornaya Mosque was the only Islamic house of worship allowed in the Soviet Union. It stood largely empty, filling only with the occasional large foreign delegation from an Islamic country.

Today, it is one of four mosques in Moscow serving a Muslim population of about 2.5 million. On Fridays and holy days, it overflows with worshippers, leaving many to kneel on newspapers outside, their foreheads pressed against the concrete.

As in many countries with growing Islamic populations, tensions are also on the rise. Many ethnic Russians fear their country is losing its traditional identity, while many Muslims are offended by widespread discrimination and a lack of respect for their faith.